Articulated locomotive truck frame



.J. N. GREEN ARTICULATED LOCOMOTIVE TRUCK FRAME March 28, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 15, 1945 Inveixtor JAIES NELSONGREEH BY A);

n hi Attorney J. N. GREEN ARTICULATED LOCOMOTIVE TRUCK FRAME March 28, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 15, 1945 Inventor JAMES NELSON GREEN By lgw his Atborney Patented Mar. 28, 1950 ARTICULATED LOCOMOTIVE TRUCK FRAME James Nelson Green, Copper Cliff, Ontario,

Canada Application March 15, 1945, Serial No. 582,821

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in a running gear therefor.

An object of the invention is to provide a locomotive or other railway unit whose trucks or running gear impose the minimum of resistance to movement when the unit is negotiating a section'of curved track.

Another object of the invention is to provide a locomotive or like railway unit having an improved design of trucks and means for mounting and connecting the same in what might be called hinged or articulated relation whereby the same are allowed to swing freely to traverse an arc of relatively small radius.

Another object of the invention is to provide an articulated locomotive or other unit of rail-- way rolling stock, where it is desired to connect or couple as by draw bars on the trucks per se, rather than on the locomotive body, whose own pair of trucks are so coupled that they may swing freely each on its central vertical pivot through a substantial angle without binding.

Another object of the invention is to provide a locomotive especially one of the electric or Diesel double ended type wherein the frame and truck structure are so connected and linked as to afford greater flexibility for negotiating curves and/ or rough or uneven tracks, maintain proper distribution of weight and a low, direct line of transmission of draft without sacrificing stability.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a locomotive pivotally mounted on each of a pair of trucks that are connected by an articulated coupling allowing free movements at the pivot connections with the respective units of the articulated vehicle and relative vertical hinging at the confronting ends of the trucks without disturbing the direct line of transmission of draft by means of a novel design for the ends of the trucks and a special linkage therebetween so that no looseness of the pivots or cross castings is required.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electric locomotive or the like supported on a pair of centrally pivoted, coupled-trucks wherein the alignment of and distance between the respective pivots and inter-truck coupling remain constant. 1

Another object of the invention is to provide an articulated electric locomotive, whose running gear includes a pair of trucks coupled together and each centrally pivoted to the locomotive frame, wherein the coupling comprises a floating. spring-suspended linkage embodying an oscillating bearing for each truck. I

A still further object is to provide a railway vehicle and especially an electric locomotive or the like with improved, direct line of draft running gear, that will allow of negotiatin more acute curves without binding, impart greater stability, strength and safety and reduce maintenance costs whereby the same is rendered commercially desirable.

To the accomplishment of these and related objects as shall become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

The invention will be best understood and can be more clearly described when reference is had to the drawings forming a part of this disclosure wherein like characters indicate likeparts throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a double ended type of electric locomotive embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the articulated trucks or running gear thereof;

Figure 3 is a similar plan view illustrating the linked trucks negotiating a section of acutely curved track;

Figure 4 is an enlarged plan showing structural details of the adjoining ends of the articulated trucks;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the articulating link;

Figure 6 is a vertical section thereof as taken on line 6-6 of Figure 4 with the left oscillating bearing shown in elevat on; and

Figure 7 is an end elevation thereof.

\ In conventional electric locomotives of the two truck type, it is common practice to couple the trucks by a snug fitting pintle uniting the tongues on the confronting ends of the trucks and to allow the trucks to hinge, when the locomotive is taking a curve, a substant al degree of looseness is provided as between the male and female crown castings, where the trucks pivot to the locomotive frame. As the swinging of the trucks one, curve throws the tongue -connecting pintle out of'line, substantially increasingthe distance between truck pivot centersby line passing through the tongue pintle, the truck centre pivots are drawn together until the slack or looseness there allowed is full taken up or until the crown castings bind, that is the limit of curve the coupled trucks can negotiate. Then should an unevenness in the track cause one of the trucks to teeter,

the vertical as well as horizontal displacement of the tongue-connecting pintle out of line with the truck centre pivots may cause the truck to leave the track.

The present invention provides a coupling or connecting link between the companion, centrally pivoted trucks that remains constantly aligned horizontally with the pivots, floating vertically in spring damping suspension, and provided with horizontal oscillating bearings to allow I either truck to rock or teeter as it passes over rough or uneven tracks.

Carrying out this invention Iemploy apair of the usual trucks I and 2 each having the regular.

main frame 3 on the top of the centre cross bed 4 of which the female crown casting. 5 is mounted midway of the sides of the frame; these each r ceive a true fitting male crown castt'ngfi affixed to the underside of the frame I of the locomotive body 8, which respective pairs of male and female crown castings constitute axial pivot connections between the locomotive body and trucks by which the latter are allowed to swing horizontally on a fixed vertical axis.

In a motor driven unit such as the two truck electr c locomotive shown it is desirable to provide a draft coupling between the confronting or adjacent ends of the trucks I and 2 and the heretofore used truck-carried tongues prove inadequate for, as will be seen in Figure 3, the distance between the truck centres, or male and female crown castings 5 and 6, by way of a pair of pin-coupled tongues on the longitudinal median of the respective trucks has increased too greatly. Consequently I suspend a truck link or coupling 9 from a fixed point at the mid centre'of the locomot've frame I which thus remains always a fixed distance from and midway between the crown cast-'- ing pivot centres of the trucks and in constant alignment therewith.

For engagement by this link or coupling 9 the confronting or adjacent ends of the trucks I and 2 each have a supplementary or coupling frame piece I extending beyond and mounted on the end of the main truck frame 3. This supplementary coupling frame II] has a transversely extending cross piece Ii spaced from the end of the truck frame 3 and formed as the-arc of a circle described with the pivot axis of the crown castings and {I as centre. pling frame cross pieces H of the respective trucks preferably approach fairly near one another and obviously, since each is described from its truck pivot as centre, they remain a fixed distance apart as one or both of the trucks swings on its axis. In cross section the cross piece I I is square.

The coupling 9 is composed of similar upper and lower complementary halves 9a and 9b separably connected by the nuts and bolts I2 and I3. Nesting in suitable confronting con"- cavities i i in the halves of the coupling 9' are housed a pair of horizontal, transversely disposed These arcuate coutil the trucks as they'rideoverrough: and uneven porting rods I1 depend from the locomotive frame I and pass loosely through vertical bores I8 in the coupling 9 between the spaced bearing sleeves I5 and on each rod I'I above and below the coupling 9 is a compressed coil spring I9, the whole being confined in assembly by the nuts 20 threaded on the lower ends of the said rods whereby the said coupling is floated in this movement-damping suspension.

As the locomotive 8 negotiates a curved section of track, the trucks I and 2 swing oppositely on their pivots at the crown castings 5 and 6 but their arcuate coupling frame cross pieces II are held in firmly linked draft coupling as they travel sideways without binding through the bearing sleeves E5 in the locomotive frame supported coupling 9 that remains equally spaced from and constantly aligned with the truck pivots. On either straight or curved track the trucks may rock freely, within the limits required, when the arcuate cross pieces II cause their respective rotatable bearing sleeves I5 to turn or oscillate in the couplings.

From the foregoing descriptiontaken in con nection with the accompanying drawings, it will be manifest that an articulated, two truck, electric locomotive is provided that will fulfill all the necessary requirements of such a device, but as many changes could be made in the above description and many apparently widely different embodiments of .the invention may be con.- structed within thescopeof the appended claims, without departing from. the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all matters contained in the said accompanying specification and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitative or restrictive sense.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an articulated locomotive having a pair of trucks, each centrally pivoted to the locomotive frame, adjacent ends on said trucks each formed as an. arcdescribedfrom the respective truck pivot as a centre, and a vertically movable, connecting link suspended from the locomotive frame, spring dampened in its vertical movements and with which said arcuate ends have relatively transverse sliding engagement.

2. In an articulated locomotive having a pair of trucks, each centrally pivoted to the locomotive frame, adjacent ends on said trucks each formed as an arc described from the pivot as a centre, a vertically separable, two piece connecting link suspended from. the locomotive frame and having spaced transverse concavities in which. said arcuate ends have relatively transverse Sliding engagement and means for holding said link against transverse displacement.

3. In an articulated locomotive having a pair of: trucks, each centrally pivoted to the locomo-- tive frame, adjacent ends on said trucks each formed. as an are described from the pivot as a centre, a link suspended from? the locomotive frame connectingthe'iarcede'ndsi of said trucks normally aligned with'thetruck: pivots, means for holding said link against'lateral displacement, means for allowing limited vertical iioating thereof and rotatable bearingsleeves therein through which said respective arced truck ends may freely slide.

l. A meansof articulating the running gear of a locomotive having a'pair of trucks eachcentrally pivoted to the locomotiv frame consisting of an arcuate formation'on-the adjacent end of each truck wherein the arc is described with the truck pivot as a centre, a link engaging said adjacent arcuate truck ends comprising a coupling block, a longitudinally spaced pair of rotatable bearings disposed transversely in said coupling block and through which said arcuate truck ends hav relatively transverse sliding engagement and means suspended from said locomotive frame for holding said link in substantial alignment with said pivots.

5. A means of articulatin the running gear of a locomotive having a pair of trucks each centrally pivoted to the locomotive frame consisting of an arcuate formation on the adjacent end of each truck wherein the arc is described with the truck pivot as a centre, a vertically movable link engaging said adjacent arcuate truck ends and with which they have relatively transverse sliding engagement, means suspended from the locomotive frame for holding said link against lateral displacement and resilient means mounted on said first mentioned means for damping any vertical displacement of said link.

6. An articulated locomotive comprising a pair of trucks, a female crown casting mounted centrally on the frame of each, a locomotive body surmounting said trucks having a frame on the underside of which a longitudinally spaced pair of male crown castings are provided to engage in said truck-carried female crown castings to afford each truck a vertical pivot axis, a vertically floating coupling link suspended from the frame of said locomotive, a pair of longitudinally spaced, transversely disposed rotatable bearing sleeves in said link, and a coupling frame on the adjacent end of each of said trucks having a transversely extending bar in the form of an are described from the truck pivot as a centre passing through the respective rotatable bearing sleeves in said link and slidable freely therein.

JAMES NELSON GREEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

